Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir

Foley Estate Vineyard & Winery

glass of red wine - Pixabay

Located in the prestigious Santa Rita Hills appellation, Foley’s beautiful Rancho Santa Rosa property is home to a 3,500 square-foot tasting room and event center. Located next to the iconic 12,000 square-foot winery building, the Hospitality Center affords visitors spectacular vistas of neighboring mountain ranges, coastal oaks and contoured hillside vines.

stablished in 2001, the Sta. Rita Hills AVA is a remarkable destination for wine lovers, known for its unique, ultra-cool climate. Located in the westernmost section of the Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara County, it lies at the foot of Point Conception, flanked by the Purisima Mountains to the north and the Santa Rosa Mountains to the south. This mountainous terrain forms a significant corridor leading into the Pacific Ocean, influencing the area's climate and terroir.

Wine enthusiasts are drawn to the AVA’s brisk ocean breezes and the late-morning maritime fog that blankets the vineyards, making Sta. Rita Hills one of the coolest growing regions in the world. The varied soil types—including marine sand, loam, clay, and limestone—contribute to the complexity of the wines produced here. Elevations range from near sea level to 1,800 feet, offering diverse microclimates for grape growing.

The region experiences a semi-arid climate, with an average annual rainfall of just 13 inches, primarily occurring between December and May. This allows vintners to extend the “hang time” of the fruit, free from the threat of fall rains that can challenge other Pinot Noir and Chardonnay regions. The extreme conditions, particularly the cold and windy climate, result in low yields, leading to Pinot Noirs with deep color and intense flavor profiles, making Sta. Rita Hills a must-visit for any passionate wine lover.

Moshin Vineyards

wine and cheese - pixabay

If you like Pinot you will love this winery. Just driving to this winery is reason enough to visit! Its a small winery, that isn't super cute, but the service and tastings were great! Our server asked if he could just pour what he wanted and we ended up getting an extensive tasting.

Sonoma Coast Vineyards

wine tasting assortment - Pixabay

John and Barbara Drady founded SCV with winemaker Anthony Austin in 2001. Their affinity for the Pacific Ocean and surrounding landscape brought them to the Sonoma Coast and their passion for Pinot Noir drove them to create Sonoma Coast Vineyards.

Combining over two decades of wine industry experience, John and Barbara teamed with Tony to utilize his wealth of expertise and experience to create the stunning wines of SCV.

Benovia Winery

corks and wine glass - Pixabay

Boutique winery. Appointment only but that ensures that they can make time for you to taste in a relaxed and comfortable environment. Very informative and the wines were outstanding. Not inexpensive but not overly pricey either.

Simon Levi Cellars

glass of wine - Pixabay

SL Cellars is one of the smaller wineries in the Sonoma Valley and just sits right off of the 12. SL is an old school house transformed into a Wine Tasting Room. It has a nice come here and sit for a while feels and a nice little park area that you can go to for a light lunch. SL Cellars specializes in Sparkling Wine. They had some of the betters ones I tasted this weekend. The had an almond and raspberry sparkling wine that is worth the stop and tasting.

Lucas and Lewellen Vineyards

corks in a wine glass - Pixabay

The vineyards of Lucas & Lewellen are located in the three principal wine grape growing regions of Santa Barbara County: the Santa Maria Valley, the Los Alamos Valley, and the Santa Ynez Valley. These valleys all run west from the coastal mountains to the Pacific Ocean, allowing warm days and cool nights to produce a long, gentle growing season.

DeRose Vineyards - Hollister

Grape Clusters

DeRose Vineyards has the single best Negrette I have ever had. Pat DeRose not only has one of the coolest moustaches on the planet, but he and Al (his son) are wine purists, not necessarily in the "Wine Spectator" since, they simply love great wines. Al DeRose search for new endeavors took him to central Chile where he produces and imports his Chilean wines. De Rose VIneyards is one of the oldest operated wineries in the US - 1854. At De Rose VIneyards they are not concerned about anything other than wine... nada. The DeRose family doesn't care about wine spectator's points, they don't care about who endorsed what, and I find that not simply amuzing, but delightful! Their style is very much like the old world where the people of the community get together. The winemakers, the farmers, the butcher and the candlestick-maker all living together, drinking together, eating together and enjoying the celebration of life. At DeRose Vineyards it is,"Good friends, good food and good wine.*

Hours:

Hollister Tasting Room
9970 Cienega Road
Hollister, CA
Hours:
Thursday - Friday: 11 AM – 5 PM
Saturday - Sunday: 11 AM – 4 PM

San Martin Tasting Room
255 Fitzgerald Avenue
San Martin, CA
Hours:
Friday: 4 PM – 8 PM

Whitehall Lane Winery

glasses of wine - Pixabay

Whitehall makes some great wine! We were surprised by the mostly empty parking lot and even considered turning away before entering. Did an empty parking lot mean bad wine? Everything we sampled, from white to red was great. Easy drinking and definitely well priced. Come summer time it can be very busy at times. Well worth a visit.

Sonoma - Cutrer Vineyards

wine and cheese - Pixabay

Despite the fact that this winery is owned by behemoth wine and spirits company, Brown Forman, we could not have picked a better winery to have a midday tasting. The three ladies that were manning the tasting room could not have been more charming as they set us up with a flight of pourings outside on the beautiful patio. We were surprised at the many offerings that Sonoma-Cutrer only provides from the winery or to wine club members.

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